From the Editor: The following article first appeared in
the Spring 2003 issue of the NFB Vigilant, the publication of the NFB
of Virginia. John Bailey is first vice president of the Virginia Association
to Promote the Use of Braille. John learned Braille in his later years after
his vision began to fail. He has made Braille an important part of his daily
routine. He writes about several successful techniques that can get people beyond
the Braille reading speed plateau.

Most Braille readers would love to increase our reading speed.
We know of those who have mastered the techniques well enough to achieve Braille
reading speeds of several hundred words a minute.

Although it would be nice, it is not necessary for everyone
to read Braille at lightning speed in order to use it productively. If your
only use for Braille is to mark objects for easier identification or to take
quick notes, lightning-fast Braille reading speed may not be important to you;
however, for those who need to digest a lot of information quickly, any increase
in reading speed can be very beneficial.

Unfortunately, many of us have reached a plateau in increasing
our Braille reading speed. Many of us have struggled to overcome a speed limit
of about sixty words a minute. The truth is that surpassing the sixty-wpm barrier
takes work and the honing of specific skills. By using the proven techniques
outlined below in combination with daily practice, the sixty-wpm barrier can
be broken.

Several speed-increasing techniques and related exercises
follow. They have proved effective for those who already know Braille and want
to increase their reading speed and comprehension.

Technique One

Use two hands. You can identify a Braille-reading pro by the
way he or she uses two hands to move across the page. By using the index fingers
of both the left and right hands simultaneously, a Braille reader can reduce
the time it takes to read a passage of Braille text.

The trick here is to have at least one of the fingers of each
hand moving across the dots at all times. While one finger finishes a line,
the other index finger begins reading the next line; this means no pause between
lines.

For example, at the top of a new page, both hands start at
the top left side of the page. Together they move across the letters until they
reach the middle. While the right hand continues across, the left hand moves
down a line and orients itself at the beginning of that line. When the right
hand is finished with the top line, the left hand immediately begins to read
the second line. The right hand joins the left until they reach the middle of
the second line of text. The left hand breaks off and orients itself to the
beginning of the third line. This process continues to the bottom of the page.
The whole process begins again on the next page.

The problem with the one-handed method of reading is that
a pause takes place between lines because the reader has to slide the hand back
across the page to the start of the next line. The two-handed method of reading
eliminates this delay.

Technique Two

Make the hand movement across the page automatic. If you don't
need to focus on the way your hands are moving, you can concentrate better on
the text. To make the movement of your hands across the page as fluid as possible,
try this exercise:

Starting at the top of a page, move your hands from left to
right as quickly as you can while retaining good two-handed Braille reading
form. Remember to touch every character and line. It's not necessary to understand
the symbols you touch. The goal is to execute your movements as unconsciously
as possible.

Do this exercise for a few minutes several times each day.
After a while your hands will know where to go without your having to think
about it.

Technique Three

Push your reading speed envelope. All readers tend to read
at the speed at which they are most comfortable. Simply reading on cruise control
isn't enough to improve your speed markedly. You need to move beyond your comfort
zone.

Using technique two will assist in mastering this concept;
however, instead of moving as fast as you can, go just fast enough to recognize
an occasional letter or short word. Don't stop to decode the words you missed.
Again, as in technique two, you should do this a few times a day for a few minutes
at a time. In just a few days, you will notice that you can move faster while
understanding more.

Technique Four

Make Braille a part of everyday activities. The axiom "Use
it or lose it" applies to any new skill you acquire. It is particularly
true for learning Braille. Make the commitment to include Braille in your daily
activities. Make opportunities for reading Braille. Use Brailled labels. Take
Braille notes. Take a Braille magazine along with you so you have something
to read when you are waiting at a doctor's office. When you go out for a meal,
ask for a Braille menu. In addition, bring NFB Braille alphabet cards along
with you to hand out when strangers ask you what you are doing.

Increasing your Braille reading speed is a challenging goal
for many people. There are many ways to get beyond the plateau that almost everyone
encounters in their journey towards Braille reading proficiency. The most important
ingredient to any successful Braille reading activity is continuing to practice
while using the correct techniques.